Steam
by WeirdMagi
Summary: A young human mage and and Blood Elf warlock learn to let down barriers, and things get a bit weird here and there. Slapping on the M rating for upcoming chapters and the content they are going to contain.
1. Beginnings

Steam

Beginnings

"Something is wrong..." The pregnant mother gasped, sweating as pain surged through her. Even though this was the

couple's first child, both the mother and father knew that things were moving too fast, and too early. Another

sharp pain caused the expecting mother to double over and slowly sink to her knees. She had such a small frame,

even for a woman who was seven months pregnant. Her hair was dark but her skin was fairly pale and littered with

tiny freckles. While she was pretty, her role in life was pretty ordinary. Her husband rushed to the aid of his

woman, wrapping strong and capable arms around her, trying to protect her and the child.

"I have sent for the doctor and a Cleric. Everything will be fine, just breath." His voice, deep and soothing, was

filled with anxiety. Ordinarily, he was very well composed, never letting emotions spill forward. He has spent most

of his life on the battlefield, a warrior trained to be on the front lines with a shield and weapon. A tall man,

fairly intimidating with shorter black hair, a lot of scruff across his chin, bronze skin covered with scars. He

had faced many frightening opponents, but watching his wife deliver early and knowing there was nothing he

could do frightened him like no other being had before. Just as be believed things weren't going to get much worse,

his wife starts bleeding uncontrollably. Her soft, pale skin losing even more color, leaving her a sickly gray. This

would be a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his life. The warrior begged to the Gods and spirits of the

world as panic kicked in. He couldn't go on without her, and refused to. He took his wife's clammy hand and held it

to his face. She complained of feeling cold and the feeling of weightlessness.

That was when the warrior was torn away from his lady's lifeless body. The doctor and Cleric disappeared into a

back room as several men tried to subdue the enraging man as he called his wife's name over, and over again,

desperately trying to get her eyes to open and focus once more. For hours, the two men, doctor and Cleric, worked

tireless to save both woman and child. The Cleric recited many healing hymns and spells as the doctor

pulled a screaming child from the limp mother's body. Just as it seemed all things were hopeless, a miracle does

happen. Thanks to the work, and perhaps a bit of magic from divine creatures, mother and child survive the ordeal.

A tiny, four pound girl with chocolate-brown hair and blue eyes was successfully delivered. Her father named her

Kelset - a name that he swears was given to him by something supernatural just before the mother had collapsed.

Kelset had an interesting childhood. Six months after her birth, her father was sent out to battle once more. This

time in a faraway land many were calling Pandaria. After a year, he returned, but he was not the same man. He had

suffered a severe head injury during a fight. While he did survive, his personality was altered. Kelset spend years

trying to gain the affection of her once noble dad. He was more interested in women, and that ultimately caused him

to leave his wife and child behind. There were rare occasions when he did visit Kelset and brought her to his

home. Usually they were greeted by one of his girlfriends. It never took long before Kelset was ditched by her

father and left in the company of jealous women. Of course Kelset tried to make friends with everyone in her life,

but these women never had interest. They were never directly abusive to her, but they did make it clear she wasn't

wanted. She put up with this sort of thing for about eight years until she just gave up. Kelset decided to live

exclusively with her mother. Things were a bit crazy on that end, too.

Her mother was either working to pay bills, or working to catch the interest of a possible husband. Unlike the

women that dated her father ,the men seeking the attention of her mother were far more interesting and nice. They

often spoiled Kelset, giving her the attention her mother and father refused to. It seemed like each time Kelset

grew to like one person, her mother dumped him, forcing him away. No one ever seemed to be good enough even though

Kelset thought many of them to be very nice gentlemen. In time, Kelset started to ignore everyone around her and

began to focus on things that she knew she could control. Funny enough, the little human had a great gift with

Arcane magic, and soon started to study under the guide of many gifted Magi located around the world.

Kelset loved traveling and learning new things, meeting new people of all sorts of races and backgrounds! It

didn't take long for her to discover that she was gifted in manipulating fire as well. The discovery was accident

that happened when her instructor had asked a simple task.

"Okay, I really think you should be ready for this. I want you to conjure an Arcane Familiar. They're more helpful

than you would imagine, young one!" The elderly man patted the head of an eighteen year old Kelset. Over the years

she had filled out quite nicely. She stood at a healthy five foot, six inches tall, a weight of one hundred and

twenty, and a pair of hips and bust that could tempt just about anyone. Oddly enough, she took after the women on

her father's side - very feminine with a beauty that shine from a bright soul as well as a pretty face. Just about

the only thing she inherited from her mother was the same pale skin with freckles dotting only her shoulders.

"I'm not sure..." Kelset mumbled, nervously she bit her bottom lip. "The cake exploded, and food conjuring was

supposed to be simple!"

"You should have started with brownies!" The old Mage chuckled. "Now, just focus. You can do it!"

With a heavy sigh, Kelset let the Arcane energies fill her core before channeling it into the tips of her fingers.

In the palms of her hands, a tiny elemental started to form. Its whole body was composed of practically every

color imaginable, and then some. The sight of an Arcane Familiar taking life right before her caused Kelset to get

a bit excited. "Look!" As she breathed the words, orange and red flashed and burst forward - the Arcane Familiar

died giving birth to one of fire that ended up setting the Mage tower on fire.

The young lady and old mage sat outside. While Kelset was obviously discourage, the old man couldn't help but laugh

as he wrapped a frail arm over her shoulders. "Don't fret. This isn't bad. I believe you have more fire within that

spirit of yours. Just nurture it, stop fighting so much."


	2. Charred

Chapter One

Charred

Kelset ran her fingers along the edges of a few soot covered stones along the outside wall of the Mage's tower. The older man had went back inside to try to salvage a number of books containing tips and lessons on controlling and mastering the use of fire. His enthusiasm about the whole thing made a smile creep across her lips, but she couldn't help but feel terribly guilty about ruining so many of the things this man had worked his whole life to acquire. With a soft, almost in audible groan, Kelset removed her hand from the tower to push hair from her face. It had been a long day, and she was tired on top of feeling guilty. "Not the first time his tower has been destroyed, won't be the last."

The voice was coming up the small walkway and had startled Kelset, causing her to flinch as it pulled her out of the little fog she was in. She turned only to find a Blood Elf standing behind her, staring down with piercing green eyes that burned with magical properties. His voice was stern and stiff, but also held the sense of life experience, and told that he wasn't very amused by the sight before him. His skin held a very soft tint to it, making him slightly darker in tone than herself. Hair was a honey-golden blond that would easily go half way down his back had it done been tossed in a braid to rest over the left shoulder. He appeared to be somewhere in his mid twenties. In his right hand was a staff, forest green in color, and speckled with areas of gray and black. The tip held a moving eye that seemed to frantically move about. Needless to say, the sight of it made Kelset very uneasy. Her stomach wasn't very strong, and most things that seemed alive, or were bloodied, or just in general any sort of body part just made her stomach turn. The focus on the staff was broken when the Blood Elf spoke again. "You careless mage are going to be the downfall for the rest of us. Some things cannot be tamed, and your kind are always tampering with it."

"It was an accident..." Her voice was soft and sheepish as a soft blush began to color her cheeks. It almost felt like she was being chastised by her own father for a moment.

"That's the problem! It's always an accident." With that, he turned away from her to greet the older, still cheerful Mage leaving the tower with arms filled with books, reagents, and chalk. The old Mage greeted the Blood Elf by shoving everything he could into his arms.

"Oh, good! Just time to help repair. I assumed it wasn't too difficult for you to get here?" The old man beamed as he stooped over to start scribbling runes against the hardened dirt.

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. I've had more training than the two of you combine between here and Pandaria." The Blood Elf huffed as he set down his staff and the books to organize the things.

Kelset couldn't help but to listen in. Pandaria? That was a place she only dreamed of going! As the troops came back to their families some odd years ago, she had heard many stories of the beauty and culture there. Stories of an island with enormous beasts and Devilsaurs, another island that seemed to be some sort of time anomaly where many Bronze Dragons had gathered to study along with historians from around the world. "Have you seen the Vale?" Kelset chimed in, wedging her self between the old Mage and this Blood Elf. "Is it as wonderful as they say?"

The Blood Elf's expression shifted from less than amused to just plain annoyed and irritated. The man was staring daggers at her, which caused the grin her face to falter. "I've seen it. I wouldn't know about it being a wonderful place. I arrived after Garrosh did the damage. I never saw beauty, nor did I see it as a place to vacation. I was there during conflict, and quite frankly, I hope I never see any of it again."

"Well, excuse me for being a bit curious!" Kelset crossed her arms in a very childlike way and furrowed her brows together. Her teacher couldn't help but to chuckle at the sparks flying between the pair. "Why are you even here? You don't seem to be any sort of Mage I've ever seen. To top that off, you aren't even of the same faction."

The old Mage gentle pulled Kelset and the Blood Elf apart before either one of them could say more. "He's actually here to try to build bridges between everyone, and I rather agree with his effort. We all have faced many of the same struggles together. It's about time we stop fighting pointless battles." He patted both of their shoulders. "Now, I need you two. Travel to Silithus and get these reagents for me." The old man shoved a list into Kelset's hands before she could form any thought on the idea. The Blood Elf just shook his head as he removed a small white stone from a pocket. With a few words muttered to it, the stone quickly shifted into a steed with blue, flaring mane and tail. Gorgeous.

"I can't promise I won't just leave her there." The Blood Elf smirked as he climbed into the back of the large steed. "Get on. I don't have time to just wait around."

"Leave me there? I can't promise I won't push you off the horse..." Kelset grumbled, climbing onto the back of the steed and loosely gripping the Blood Elf.

"You might want to hang on a bit tighter than that." With a laugh in his voice, and mischievous grin on his face, he spurred the horse forward. Translucent wings sprouted from the steed's shoulders. As quickly as the Blood Elf gave the small warning, they were up in air and going higher by the second. Kelset ended up throwing her arms around his torso, clinging tightly with her face buried into the robe against his back. Her body trembled, eyes shut tight, and jaw clenched as the wind rushed past them, chilling her body. It wasn't so much the heights that bothered her, but rather the idea of falling off was what bothered her the most.

"Please, can go a little lower?!" Kelset's voice was filled with tension and fear as she fought back the urge to cry in the presence of a man who seemingly couldn't care less.

Unknown to Kelset, the Blood Elf did feel a twinge of guilt. He may be hardened, but he wasn't completely heartless or ruthless. "Or you could just get used to this." He shrugged his shoulders, barely glancing back at the human girl clinging for dear life to him. Ultimately, he would never let her fall off, nor would he have the steed perform outrageous stunts to freak her out even more.

"Damn, Elves..." She murmured, inching forward and pressing her self against him to try to feel some sort of safety or comfort. What she really needed now was solid ground beneath her feet, and perhaps coffee or tea. "I think I might get sick!" She yelled in hopes to make him slow down.

"This Elf has a name. It's Lucen." He paused for a moment, "If you puke on me I really will incinerate you, I swear to it."

The entire trip was nothing but Kelset belly aching about every thing she could think of. Too cold, too fast, too slow, how much longer until they arrived, and especially about the occasional bird they would nearly kill as it refused to move out of the way. Lucen was extremely relieved to finally land, but no one appeared more grateful than Kelset. As the steed disintegrated back into a small stone, she laughed, and nearly cried as she threw her self upon the sandy ground of Silithus. Lucen covered his face in ensnarement as a Cenarion Druid came to greet the odd pair.

"Yes!" Kelset sang. "Finally! Oh, earth, how I missed you! Lucen, bury me in the sand. I need this warm embrace." She joked, not noticing the female Tauren Druid giving them odd looks.

"Get up! We came here for a reason, and it wasn't to goof off in the dirty sand. Do you have an idea what has crawled through there?" Lucen turned his back, not entirely sure he wanted to watch this display.

"Welcome, travelers. I'm guessing she doesn't travel much?" The Druid extended a hand to Kelset, offering to help pull her up and out of the sand.

Young Kelset had no regret about being caught that way. She took the Druid's hand and brushed the sand from her face and hair the best she could. Most of it did get stuck in her clothes, but that was okay for now. The Druid was so calm, and the clothing was something that caught kelset's full attention. Leaves and vines intricately woven into leather. Their garb nearly seemed to come alive! It was beautiful, especially in contrast with the dull colors of a desert. The human and the Blood Elf followed the Tauren obediently, trudging through sand, occasionally seeing a rock, or scorpid of sorts. Many parts of the world was beginning to recover from many tragedies. Flora was blooming in the most unlikely of places, especially areas that were decimated by Deathwing. Silithus? Not a whole seemed to have changed here. It is still just as barren and lifeless as she read about in many books. The only inhabitants were air and earth elementals, scorpid, sand worms, and the most frightening enemy - spiders. Nothing frightened Kelset like giant spiders. Not even the still looming threat of Silithid. In fact, she would rather face a whole slew of gigantic beetles, and even wasps, than spiders.

Kelset shook her head slightly, needing to shift focus off the idea of spiders as the ideas were causing her to make foul faces. There was already enough negative attention from the romp in the sand, no need to add to it.

"I will take you to Cenarion Hold." The Druid started to explain, "Once there, we will explain the current status of the area and ask what business you could possibly have here."

The tone of the Druid wasn't threatening, but rather more curious than anything else. Kelset wouldn't blame her. A young, most inexperienced Mage running around with a stick in the mid Blood Elf. She was questioning her self why she willing went along, too.

"I understand there is still work to be done here, just tell me if there is anything we can do to help during our time here." Lucen offered, wearing the usual unreadable mask, void of most emotions. Unless he was annoyed. It was very clear when that happened.

The trip to Cenarion Hold was rather pleasant. As pleasant as a trek through the desert could be, honestly. The way sand seemed to pull Kelset down, slowing her walk and making her work more just to take a step had Kelset tuckered out. The day was exhausting, and frankly, she just wanted to stop for a while and not leave Cenarion Hold until morning.

"We are not staying. I really do not want to be here any longer than we need to." Lucen crossed his arms stubbornly as Kelset gave him a pleading look.

"Seriously? Pretty sure I have sand in some very private places." She whimpered, shifting around uncomfortably to dislodge the small grains irritating her beneath the robes.

Lucen just cocked a brow. One thing he noticed is when Kelset complains, her eyes get a wonderful shimmer. It wasn't natural beauty he was so focused on, but rather the mana and magic properties she kept so bottled up. They wanted out, and a small part of him wanted to just force them out for his own personal gain. "Not my fault. You are the one who decided to go rolling in the sand." Lucen turned his back and started Northwest. That way, the pair would reach the Earth Elementals holed up in the rocky areas while avoiding the bigger Silithid Hives and Ahn'Qiraj. While that temple was supposed to be abandoned, he really didn't entirely believe that as the Silithid were only increasing in numbers as of late.

Kelset often saw the stare Lucen gave. It made her uneasy, honestly. It wasn't a look of admiration, or perhaps a small glimpse of a crush. It was a very hungry type of look that made her question every word he ever uttered about building bridges between the two Factions. "Yep, well, I blame that on you."

"Of course you do." Lucen rolled his eyes as they started the trek out.

"If we had just stayed on the ground, I wouldn't have been deprived of being on the ground, and would have never felt the need to reassure said ground that I love it, and appreciate it." Kelset followed behind by a step or two. Around one shoulder was the small pack they were to use to carry the reagents the Old Mage needed.

"Right. Not the first time you've mentioned those exact words."

"Not the first time you've mention those words, too, Lucen." Kelset mocked the elven man while shifting her gaze towards the mountain border in the distance. "I'm formally ended my relationship with sand. Dirt is fine, but this sand is just horrible."

It only took a few hours before they were nearing the destination. For the most part, there was little trouble getting there. A couple of worms and scorpid, but nothing that Kelset wasn't able to blast away. The good part about being in an area where nothing could catch fire is that she was allowed to exercise fire without concern of burning the world down around her. Confidence was building in her self until she heard an odd hiss coming from behind. She turned, just in time, to catch the largest spider she had ever seen lunging at her. The sight caused her to shriek. Instead of running, her body was frozen in fear, and her mind was numb. In that moment, Kelset resigned to fate as food for a horrible creature that was pure evil.

"For the love of..." Lucen sighed, snapping his fingers to set the arachnid ablaze. For the next few moments, it squirmed, panicked, screamed and hissed until its insides boiled. By the time it died, there was nothing there but a charred, tough husk. "You could probably crack open a leg. Sort of like a crab."

"So..." Kelset turned to face Lucen, freed from her paralyzing fear once the creature had died. "You're a Warlock? That explains a lot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked the Mage suspiciously. What was wrong with Warlocks? He could think of many things wrong with her, and Mage in general.

"Most Warlocks I have ever met are weird people with this gross fetish for demons, or just flat-out assholes." Kelset shrugged apologetically as Lucen shot her a sharp glare. "You're only reinforcing the stereotype." Kelset laughed.

"Really? You are pretty much the embodiment of Mage. Careless, not the brightest, accident prone, always dipping into things you can't control. Oh, and just for the record, they used to call me Soulburner. I want you to think about why or how that came about."

Miss Mage just rolled her eyes as she smirked at the Blood Elf, finding his attempt to threaten her sort of cute.

**A little note.**

Thank you all so much for the positive reinforcement! Also, thank you for pointing out for the wrong word being used! I do proof-read, but things are missed sometimes. I will add more to this throughout the day for the next day or two, so check back and something new may be here!


	3. Shifting Sands

Mage and Warlock finally arrive in the more rock terrain that was the border around Silithus. Jagged ledges loomed high over the pair, the earth and rocks were darker in hue compared to the light-colored sands. A positive for Kelset was at least the ground was a lot more solid. She had expected them to be greeted by raging Elementals, but instead, hardly anything seemed to be here. All they saw were a few lizards scampering about.

"Nothing is here." Kelset huffed, tired of traveling around this place. It was hot, sticky, and barren. Not to mention dirt and sand getting blown in her face.

Lucen gave a crooked grin. "There is, we just to get to them worked up."

Heat began to build as wind swirled and kicked up. Ash and sparks gathered in an area directly in front of Lucen as he summoned a Dreadsteed, a hellish creature seemingly born of fire and ash, seemed to paw its way from the earth being scorched by heat and flame. The sound it emitted was something close to a horses neigh, but distorted and frightening. Several large horns jutted from the mount's head. Two extremely long and fearsome looking ones came from the creature's chest, swooping back over the shoulders. Around each hoof fire came to life, threatening to consume all it touched. Kelset could feel heat surging from the steed, but Lucen mounted it with ease and was unaffected.

"Sit tight, I'll wake the earth up and gather them. I want you to unleash a volley of spells and take them down quickly."

Kelset nodded in agreement, although she did wonder why they hadn't just rode on the back of the Dreadsteed to get out there in first place. Would have been a lot easier, and quicker. Lucen turned the Dreadsteed around and pushed it into a full gallop. The creature left a trail flames behind it, effectively damaging even dirt and rock as it ran by. This was enough to anger to Earth Elements in the area. Piles that looked to be simply rocks came to life and lashed out at Lucen's steed. Once ten or so were chasing him down, Lucen looped around to bring them back to Kelset. Once he reached her side, the Dreadsteed disintegrated in a flash of sparks and ash, seeming to melt back into the ground from where it came to begin with.

"All yours." Lucen coaxed.

She didn't waste any time getting down to business here. After all, it was a chance to flex those invisible magic muscles. Immediately, Kelset laid down a circle of flames that encased all the elementals. A few were turned into bombs that exploded on each other, and the last ones standing were assaulted with Arcane Blasts and Missiles. Within moments, each Earth Elemental cracked and fell apart, leaving their essence glowing faintly, proof that there was once life in those chipped and damaged rocks.

Lucen simply watched with a gleam in his eye as everything fell to her feet, as mana left over from spells filled the air around them, enticing him closer to her. Kelset's short celebration of giggles and smile was interrupted by being grabbed. Her face immediately flushed a bright pink when she realized it was Lucen who took her by the waist and had pulled her frame into his.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was a hushed whimper as the palm of her hands pushed gently against his firm chest. Her breath caught as she noticed just how sturdy he felt.

His finger gripped and tugged at fabric around her waist, his knuckles turning white as a few stitches could be heard popping. His broad, strong hands were shaking, breathing ragged and those glowing green eyes seemed to burn with thirst. Kelset's heart was beating against her ribs, and she didn't know what to do other than try to tell him to stop as his forehead pressed against her's.

"Lucen..." She choked on his name, which just made him press into her even more.

His breath was hot against her face, leaving behind phantom touches that seemed almost cold once gone. Even her nervous breathing wasn't as loud and noticeable as his own.

"I want it..."

"Please, I'm not sure - "

"Mana..." he interrupted Kelset abruptly. "I need it."

He nearly demanded her, making her mind race about trying to think quickly as to what she could offer that wouldn't knock him back on his bum. Then it hit her, self enhancing spells. She knew a few armors that might give him the energy was seeking her, worth a try at least. A soft blue and purple aura surrounded her body as she willed the Mage Armor around her. His eyes widened, and she could feel it when he began to drain it off her. It made her slightly uncomfortable and light-headed. Not painful, but a slight pressure.

"Again." He ordered.

Trying to sate him enough so that he would finally let go of her, she did as he told. Instead of his grip loosening, he just groaned and leaned into her even more.

"Lucen, I'm not - "

"Imbue your words with power."

Again he did as what was order, speaking spells instead of willing them. That's when his lips crashed upon her's. Forceful and hungry. Rough and lusting. At first, Kelset just stood there, not returning the kiss until his hands let go of her only to cup her face in them. That was when her lips parted for him and her eyes closed, allowing her self to dissolve into the moment. Both of them were gripping onto each other as if they were going to be ripped apart, as if they depended on each other to breathe even. Kelset no longer heard the heartbeat in her ears, instead, she could clearly smell a soft musk that was inciting. His lips were sweet yet tangy that made her crave more of it.

"Do that again..." He mumbled against her lips, not able to pull himself away from them.

Kelset obeyed, whimpering the words softly as it was almost painful to stop kissing him for that moment. The action only seemed to renew the hunger she felt from his kiss as Lucen wrapped his arms around her in a possessive way, a low growl building in his throat as he shoved his tongue into her mouth. This only lasted a few minutes before he let her go, nearly pushing Kelset off him. Lucen shut his eyes and lifted his head to face the sky, trying to calm his breathing, though his body was still quivering.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line." He sincerely apologized to Kelset. "I thought I had this gnawing hunger under control." Lucen looked down to his hands that were finally starting to become still, feeling guilty about the whole thing.

Kelset had been quivering herself, but more from a mixture of excitement and nervousness than anything else. She had only read about stories of Blood Elves that still fought with such an addiction, and tried to be understanding of it, even though she would never full understand.

"It's fine." Kelset assured, clearing her throat to try and sound more sure of herself.

She was avoiding looking at him directly, but Lucen couldn't help but stare at her. She said it was fine, when clearly things were not. He was curious about how much experience she actually had telling people 'no'. Had she wanted to, Kelset could have landed a few harsh spells, enough to force him off her at least, but she didn't, and he didn't understand if this was because she enjoyed him pawing at her, or if she simply never had anyone push themselves on her like that and it left her confused.

"First kiss?" He asked cautiously.

Kelset shook her head slowly. "No, " her brows furrowed together as she thought back. " I was eleven when I had my first kiss. A sixteen year old guy asked what my policy was on kissing on first dates, I shrugged, not knowing anything about dating. Or kissing." Kelset laughed nervously before looking to Lucen who was staring with genuine interest. "It was a quick peck on the lips. I've only been kissed once more after that."

"So, that may as well have been your first kiss." He shook his head, disappointed in himself. "I would have rather started a young woman off in a more gentle way."

Kelset laughed, her face flushing again. "Seriously, it's okay. Not like you tried to undress me or anything."

"Yea..."

He appreciated the effort of trying to make him feel better, but it just was not working, even as he busied his hands by gathering Earth Elemental Essence from around them.


	4. What Happens In Feralas Stays In Feralas

As the sun began to set on the horizon, Lucen decided it was time to take a small rest. There were still a couple stops to make, and it was clear Kelset wasn't continuing without a good night's rest, and her excessive whining was making that perfectly clear.

"Fine!" Lucen huffed, pulling the list of things they were asked to get out of a pocket. "Looks like we need to head to Feralas next for a rotten Hippogryph egg, and loose soil from there."

Kelset's expression turned sour at the mention of a rotten egg. To start with, those eggs were huge, and the smell was probably intensified greatly based on size alone.

"Shouldn't be hard to find one of those." She sighed, sitting down across from Lucen with the small fire they had made between them. Occasionally, her eyes would dart from the flickering flames up to his face momentarily. Every so often he would do the same, and in those moments their eyes would meet before either party could break contact. The only sound around them was the gentle crackling of burning wood, and the static-like noise Air Elementals made when moving about. It seemed the earth was ignoring them now. Once the fighting ceased, it was once more like Kelset and Lucen didn't exist.

That left Kelset with her thoughts, for the most part. Lucen had already settled in for the night on top of his bed-roll. He was laid on his back, facing the stars above with his hands tucked behind his head. The braid his hair was in had been shook loose during the day, leaving those golden locks to pool behind him like a halo almost. A halo. That had Kelset laughing softly. Warlocks weren't known for good behaviors. Then again, neither were Priests, honestly. A by-product of war. Most who have fought in it, or raised during it were left a little damaged in one way or another. It made her wonder what would her family had been like if there hadn't been a war, or at the very least, if her father hadn't been enlisted?

"What's on your mind?" Lucen asked, noting the blank expression on Kelset's face. She had been staring in his direction for a while now, and the fact she didn't look away when he turned his head to glance at her said she was lost in her own world.

Kelset startled, blinking a few times before shaking her head dismissively, crawling into her own little roll up bed.

"I was just thinking about my dad, a little." She pulled the covers up and around her shoulders, laying on her stomach, but her face turned to Lucen.

"Must be a proud man to have a daughter like you." A very formal saying that was tossed around here and there. Lucen had no knowledge of her dad, but it felt rude to probe without her permission first, and this usually sparked conversation.

"I doubt it. I don't remember the last time he gave a rat's ass about me, although I hear he was once a very noble man." Her tone was dismissive and gave way to a bit of irritation on the subject. "I'm tired. We can talk tomorrow..." Kelset rolled over, shutting him out while she shut her eyes on the world around her.

That was all that happened before they both fell asleep. Time would have went on as normal. Kelset was getting a dreamless rest, something that hadn't been gifted to her in a while. Lucen hardly every gained good rest. As usual, his dreams were filled with anger and terror causing him to stir in his sleep. The face of Garrosh haunted him most. That hateful gleam and the lust to destroy everything. Lucen had been on the front lines during the assault of Orgrimmar. He got to help take down the corrupted leader. He also watched this same leader completely obliterate Lucen's allies and saw how Garrosh seemed to wear each new splash of blood with pride.

'_Wake up...'_

Lucen heard the voice of the Old God whisper darkly in his mind.

_'Wake up!'_

Louder this time. Loud enough to shake his body from the outside and inward.

"Hey! Please, wake up!" The voice warped into Kelset's, pulling Lucen out of this nightmare enough that he sat up, breathing heavily as fragments of the nightmare lingered vividly. He opened his eyes only to find a pair of concerned pupils staring awfully close to him. Wide and frightened. Slowly, he noticed his own breathing was labored, and that there was a weight across his lap.

"Thank you..." Kelset breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed, straddling the sweating Blood Elf's lap. "I'm not sure what you were saying, but it was freaky." She laughed sheepishly as his arms snaked around her waist, his head resting against her shoulder, finding some security in her presence.

"You spoke in Thalassian. A mixture of rage and fear in it." Kelset noted just as she felt Lucen's body tremble slightly with a laugh. His legs shifted slightly beneath her as his fingers span across her lower back.

"Stay next to me, please." Lucen could feel her muscles tense as she almost removed her self from his lap. Normally, he wouldn't fight against being left alone. When he was alone, he could deal with things however saw fit without being judged, but as of this moment, he needed an anchor to hold him to reality.

"Okay, sure." Kelset wriggled out of his grasp long enough to crawl under the blanket with him. Without even asking, Lucen had grabbed her, pulling her against his chest as he laid on his side. Kelset was facing him with her arms tucked neatly between their bodies. Lucen pressed his lips to her forehead, not placing a kiss, just putting himself close enough that he could feel her there, and catch the sweet scent that seemed to be part of her.

She wanted to question him, to dig and find out what got him so worked up, but by the time she had gathered the courage to ask, his body relaxed, the grip on her relaxed, and his breathing became shallow, suggesting Lucen had fallen asleep once more. Was it awkward being so close to someone she knew nothing about aside from a name? Sure, but he seemed content, and if this what it took to keep him from uttering strange phrases, then so be it. It took some time before Kelset finally eased back into sleep her self, and now it was her turn to dream. Only hers were very pleasant.

Lucen was the first one to wake in the morning. His eyes opened to find that he and Kelset squirm a lot in their sleep. She has managed to shift out of the bed roll altogether with blankets and pillows everywhere. Kelset was sprawled out comfortably with one arm tossed over her face. All he could see was her lips, but Lucen was close enough to hear her, and what he heard had him scooting closer to her.

"Lucen..." Kelset slurred as she dreamed of the Blood Elf. "Don't stop..."

At first, he was confused, at least until her legs clamped together, her body shuddering gently and a very faint moan left her lips. Lucen shook his head and furrowed his brows. Certainly he was imagining things, so he kept watching. Again Kelset moaned, nearly sounded like she was begging as her legs shifted slightly, thighs clamping before relaxing again. Whether or not the dream was what he believed it to be, he could help the growing excitement he gained from it. Was it wrong to listen in on this? Probably. Lucen bit his lip as he loosened the belt around his waist. It wasn't long before he had released himself from the confines of his pants and robe. Instead of staring and watching, Lucen did roll over so his back was to her. All he did was close his eyes and listen as Kelset's breath would catch in her chest, only to hear her squirm slightly before sighing.

Before he could tell himself no, he gripped the fully hardened member and was stroking away. Slowly at first. It wasn't long before the pace was picked up. The more noise she made, the more it spurred him on. Lucen could nearly imagine himself pleasing her, and that it was her hand gripping his member. His jaw clenched, fighting back his own desire to make pleasured sounds with her in fear it would wake her and end this moment. He pumped a bit faster as a shiver went down his spine, heat pooling quickly in stomach and then his loins. So close. Kelset gave one final moan, the loudest one she managed yet. Even though he wasn't facing her, Lucen could imagine the look on her face, though. The look of pure bliss, and he liked to think he helped her get there, and that was final push that had him spilling out on the earth, leaving a thick, sticky pool near him.

* * *

The morning had went fairly well. Kelset was unaware of the Lucen's little morning escapade, she was also unaware that she talked in her sleep. Kelset happily prepared some breakfast for the two that they packed away. It was best to not rely on her conjuring abilities for breakfast. Lunch or dinner, sure, but not many people could stomach a cake, pie, or brownies so early.

"We shouldn't waste anymore time. Feralas isn't that far." Lucen informed while pulling out the smooth, glowing stone that his Hearthsteed was contained in.

During this flight, Kelset seemed a little more comfortable. Maybe some of that comfort had to do with the fact she wasn't on the back of the steed. This time Lucen had allowed her to mount first so he could sit behind her. His strong, capable arms around him, hands gripping the reigns as his chin rested against her shoulder.

Before Kelset knew it, the many greens of the leafy forest drew in sight, making her squeal with delight as she tapped on Lucen's leg.

"Look!" Kelset cooed. "Feralas is gorgeous!" A romantic sigh slipped through her lips as she admired all the life within the land.

"I think you should have been born a Druid." Lucen mused, putting on his usual stoic expression, once more trying to keep her at bay.

Shockingly, that was a bit hard for him when she wasn't complaining or acting like a child. Kelset was pretty likeable when she was relaxed and just being her self. At heart, the young woman was much more kind than she gave herself credit for. He saw proof of that when they had spotted an injured lizard back in Silithus. Lucen recalled fondly how she nearly cried over it.

Immediately they got to work collecting what they needed from Feralas. The soil was easiest and quickest. Kelset filled a small vial with dark, rich loose top soil. Even in a small amount there was a good, strong earthy scent with it. Getting their hands on a rotten Hippogryph egg was fairly simple. The creature abandoned anything that held a heavy stench and wouldn't hatch much like a lot of egg layers. Getting it into the pack was a whole different story when neither one of them would pick it up.

"I can't. I won't." Kelset gagged, turning away and leaning over as the unpleasant smell hit her. It make her stomach flip and cramp, threatening to reject the nice breakfast they had early.

Lucen pulled a box out of his own personal bag. One just big enough to hold the egg, and closed tight enough to keep the stink from permeating their clothes and making travel difficult.

"There. Is that good enough for you, princess?" Lucen mocked, putting the black box away.

"Nope. That awful smell is lingering!"

"Would it make you feel better if we stayed a day or two at Dreamer's Rest? There is an Inn there."

"Yes!"

Kelset perked up immediately, leading the way with a skip in her step. This place was a dream come true for her. Kelset had studied quite extensively in Herbalism, and was able to name practically every plant they passed and what properties it held, whether useful or harmful. Lucen blocked most of it out, not really caring, but he allowed her to carry on just to keep her happy. When arriving at Dreamer's Rest, they were greeted by a single Night Elf woman. A huntress by look of chain mail covering her petite body. Her skin was perfect. A dark shade of purple that almost made Kelset think of the night sky, with bright, silvery eyes set on a soft and beautiful face that was framed with the silkiest blue hair either Kelset or Lucen had ever seen.

"Welcome travelers!" The Night Elf's voice was smooth and sweet to the point of feeling intoxicating. "My name is Gilia Stardust. I'm the innkeeper and would like to show you both around."

Lucen was the first agree, although he made it seem like an inconvenience at the time. It certainly didn't take long before Gilia made Kelset feel like she was the third wheel. The flirty was so heavy it was obnoxious, and quite frankly, made Kelset a bit jealous. Instead of confronting them, she just hung back a bit before slipping off on her own altogether.

"You shouldn't be out here alone."

The dark voice startled her for a moment until a towering male Draenei came into view. A warrior clad in heavy plate armor with an axe that was as big as Kelset. Her eyes widened in admiration as he looked to be a force to be dealt with. Every bit of him looked sturdy, even his jaw was firm.

"I'm sorry." He smiled, revealing pearly white teeth that contrasted with his darker skin that was a mixture of heavy blue and gray. "I didn't mean to frighten. You looked troubled, is all."

"I suppose." Kelset mummbled quietly, eying the man suspiciously for a moment. "Can I ask why you are all the way out here?"

The Draenei nodded, "Vacation!" His words were followed by a low chuckle as he pointed towards the coast. "I'm meeting a few friends on The Forgotten Coast for some drinks. I would be honored if you were to join me." He beamed cheerfully at the tiny human as she agreed.

"Why not. I don't have anything else to do!"

"That's the spirit, my lady!"

They trotted off together, arm in arm as they chatted and went through the usual motions of small talk about where they came from, what they planned to do, and so on. His gathering of friends was fairly small. Two Pandarian were waiting - a male and female. Both of them made her feel small.

"Geez, I'm starting to feel like nothing but Giants are around me."

The company laughed, introducing themselves before building a large bonfire. Of course, it wasn't long before both the Pandarian were pushing drinks on everyone. Kelset knew it wasn't wise for her to drink. Her tolerance was not only low, but she often got way too carried away. As the day melted away and night drew a dark blanket over them, Kelset was quite drunk.

"Let's go swimming!" She cheered, already working her self out of her clothes, stumbling the entire time.

"Hold on!" The Draenei man laughed, steadying the human woman with large hands. "Here, let me help you, but I seriously don't think you should go swimming. You can't even stand!"

"And?" Kelset huffed while her fingers traced up the Draenei's arms. He had long stripped away his armor and was in nothing more than a pair of pants.

"I don't want you to drown on my watch, girl." His brow quirked curiously as Kelset touched his chest and stomach.

"Hey, guess what? I've never had an orgasm." She dissolved into a small giggling fit, leaning into the Draenei.

"Oh? I don't really think you are in a place to invite me to do anything." He mused, sitting down in the sand by the fire.

"I don't care." She had suddenly become very serious as her mind raced back to the Night Elf and how she practically seemed to beg Lucen and drug him off into her own personal home. If he could have fun, why not her? "I don't care if we ever see each other again. I want to feel pleasure.

Without waiting for a response, Kelset had plopped her self into the surprised Draenei's lap. The two Pandarian were both passed out a good ways away from them. The Draenei hooked one arm around her waist, bringing her in closer. His free hand pushed into her panties, the rough pads brushing against the delicate flower before pushing a single finger into her. Kelset gripped his broad shoulders, pushing herself against his hand gently. Most of her was pretty numb, both mind and body. She couldn't even tell if she was cold or hot, let alone if what he did felt nice, but she did know how to go through the motions and fake it, which seemed to spur the Draenei on regardless.

"You're small." He noted. "And already wet. I've barely touched you." The Draenei didn't mind. He's rather have someone super sensitive and responsive than a woman who took ages to get going.

"Am I? I can't tell." Kelset snorted, her smile fading when the Draenei inserted another finger and began pumping them in.

"I bet you taste so sweet." The Draenei mumbled against Kelset's neck.

"Too bad you won't find out."

Kelset looked lazily over her shoulder to see a rather pissed looking Lucen staring the Draenei.

"Go away, Lucen."

Silently, he stomped over and grabbed her by the arm, pulling Kelset out of the confused man's lap. The Draenei quickly stood to his feet, sporting an erection and apologized quickly, stating he thought she was alone and wouldn't invite her out if he thought otherwise.

"Let me go!" Kelset yelled, pulling against Lucen's grip until she slipped out, falling on her rear.

The pair of them yelled back and forth, making a scene that would cause a crowd if there were enough people in the area.

"You can barely stand! I'm not letting you go through with it." Lucen picked her up, which was harder than he thought it would be as she flailed about. He didn't fight with her long as the constant movement made her feel nauseous. That was when she settled enough for him to nearly drag her to the room he rented for them at the Inn.

Angrily, Lucen forced open the door to a small room with a single bed that was neatly made. No time was wasted as he shoved her inside, locking the door behind them. At this point, Kelset was hysterical and crying as she laid on her back across the bed, feeling too out of it to really do much else. All she knew was that she was no longer numb. Her head was spinning and the slightest emotional pain had been amplified tremendously.

"So, what? You get to romp around with everyone you want and I can't?" Her words were barely audible between sobbing and the fact she was slurring. "I mean, she grabbed your butt, you grabbed hers and you both went into a home. I'm not stupid-"

"We didn't have sex." Lucen cut her rant off and stunned her with the answer. Gently, he pushed her feet into the bed before he stripped down to just a pair of boxers and slipped into bed next to her.

"Yes, you did." She accused.

"I thought about it, yes. I left right after she got me naked. I had no real wish to sleep with her." Lucen confessed.

That prompted Kelset to finally move. Her body felt extremely heavy, and it was nearly a struggle for her to roll over and face him.

"Do me, then." She whispered into his ear.

"No."

"Oh, so I'm not exotic enough? Not pretty enough? What? What is it?" Kelset grabbed his hand and placed it between her legs, clamping them closed on him while she wrapped her arms around his arm, forcing him to stay.

"That's not it at all. You wouldn't understand..." Hardly anyone did.

Lucen didn't fight against her quite like he thought he would. Simply, he just refused to look at her, which didn't work.

"Please..."

His eyes widened, that was the same tone he had heard when she slept. At that moment, Kelset began to rub her self against his hand, rocking her hips gently.

"Lucen..." Kelset breathed the name into his ear. In a short amount of time, the thin panties were getting soaked, and she started moaning to him, calling his name and begging. He couldn't take much of this, what man could. Jerking his hand away from her, Lucen turned her over face down. He pulled his firm member from inside his boxers, lifting her hips just enough to plunge in the wet, tight hold. For the first time all night, Kelset's moan was real. She gripped the sheets tightly in her slender fingers as he pounded into her. The movements were harsh enough to rock the bed and make it hit against the wall loudly. The old springs squeaked, but were drowned out by Kelset and her lovely voice.

"Don't stop!" She choked the words out, begging Lucen to keep going. Indeed he didn't have plans to stop. Not now. Lucen groaned, keeping a steady pace and pushing into the inner walls, forcing her body forward each time his hips hit against her rear. Kelset was writing in ecstasy, her mound was tingling to the point of almost of being painful as she hit the edge of bliss. Heat pooled where Lucen's member penetrated, making her cry out for more. Lucen hungrily obeyed until he twitched and throbbed inside her. When his seed rushed into her, filling the tiny Kelset, he leaned against her back, growling in a possessive way with a few last pumps in. Lucen pulled out only to roll over onto his back, closing his eyes. He felt Kelset snuggled against him, pulling blankets over their body. Neither one could fight against sleep as it pulled at them.


	5. Ever-Burning

The next morning was a bit of a rough one for Kelset. A few things went wrong, she woke up with a hangover. It felt as if her brain was going to explode. Light and noise only seemed to make matters worse. her body ached, but this was more due to Lucen being too forceful the night before. As if he wished to kick her when down, Lucen specifically requested that she not mention that night, that it had been a mistake not only on his part, but hers. Now that was probably the more prominent of the pain she felt that morning. Kelset was a bit infatuate with him, and she couldn't get the imagine of his bare body out of her mind. The way his hands felt gripping her hips, the primal tone of his voice.

"Fine." Kelset rubbed the temples of her head. "Only on the condition that if I do decide to seek out a partner, leave me alone. I don't belong to you, so don't put your nose in my business."

It was clear that she was still a bit annoyed by the fact Lucen took it upon himself to pull her away from a good time. Even if his intentions were good, she had already accepted the fact that the Draenei would have meant nothing. Lucen acting out of jealousy made her believe something could have blossomed, but he was fairly quick to shut that idea down.

Aside from that, the morning and day went by pretty well. Kelset recovered quickly from her night of drinking, scarfing down a wonderful breakfast made by the flirtatious Night Elf. The three of them shared a few light-hearted stories and were gone by noon. Young Kelset really didn't want to leave the lush forests of Feralas. Everyone seemed to friendly and welcoming. On top of that, their next destination was Shadowmoon Valley of the Outlands. That always seemed pretty close to Hell, in her mind. Filled to the brim with all sorts of corrupted creatures and Demons. Not to mention the fact that the Black Temple was now decaying thanks to being abandoned after Illidan was killed.

* * *

"Netherwing scale, and a pinch of Ever-Burning Ash?"Kelset glanced at the list her mentor had given them.

Looking out at the bleak land, covered by a clear, but dark sky, Kelset was beginning to wonder how much of this crap he actually needed, or if this was a test to see if she could handle her self. Thoughts were interrupted by a jade colored fire bursting from the ground next to her, causing her grimmace and squeak. Kelset was on her own mount at this point, borrowing one from a nearby Alliance Stronghold. It was obvious the animal was accustomed to the usual happenings of the area as it hardly flinched as fire not only burst from beneath their feet, but also fell from the sky on ocassion.

All day, Kelset noticed how Lucen kept glancing at her, while she was basically ignoring him altogether. It was unnerving. She was demanded to act normal, yet he was the one who couldn't seem to get over what happened. As she filled a small bag with Ash from the ground, Kelste could once more feel his eyes on her. Just irritating. She hated her every move being watched. Finally having enough of it, she turned swiftly on her heels, hands firmly on those hips as she glared at the Night Elf atop his Dreadsteed.

"How long are you going to keep staring?" He didn't answer, only broke his gaze to mindlessly focus on something in the distance.

Frustration kept building up as Kelset grumbled complaints under her breath. She felt like she was owed some answers, but also a part of her knew Lucen wasn't likely to answer them. A big difference between the two - Kelset was honest and willing to talk about most of what she felt or wanted, Lucen seemed so hellbent on keeping everything from everyone. Every minute she stayed, the more his silence just ruffled her feathers. If she was going to spend her time in this dark and ominous place, she would do it exploring on her own.

"You can either head back home with the reagents, " Kelset removed a bag off her shoulder that carried majority of what they had collected and tossed it into Lucen's hands, "or you can wait for me back at largest settlement. I'm going off to the Temple."

Without waiting for him to reject the idea, Kelset sped off on her mount towards the large, crumbling walls. She had heard so many stories of this place, and the disrepair it was in now was sort of saddening. A few family members had told tales of facing off against Illidan's lackeys, and eventually the corrupted man himself. Illidan's story was one she had always felt could have ended up differently had maybe things just went a tad bit different. Coming to a stop at the base of a large wall, Kelset cocked her head back, a soft smile creeping on her lips as she thought about the history right behind them. Even after years of abandonment, she could practically still feel the chill of demonic energies seeping from the cracks and crevices.

Kelset shivered, more so from excitement, as she dismounted and slipped inside through rather a large hold at the base of the wall. It was dark, pitch black, wet, and musky. The air was filled with what she assumed was mold as she could hear water dripping and the floor was wet as well. This wasn't quite what she had expected. Kelset was thinking of a castle, but she got something closer to a cave hidden deep beneath the earth. An earthly chill seeped through her clothes and skin, down to the bone as she willed fire to form in the palm of her hand to help illuminate the space around her. She couldn't help but gasp as the bones of a Naga rest inches from her feet. A bit unsettling, but it wasn't enough to deter her from exploring.

While she had expected old bodies to be laying around collecting dust, she didn't expect to see so many from the Naga with various other creatures of the sea. At first, the path through seemed to be rather straight forward with large halls and few doorways. Things quickly changed. Even as the corridors never seemed to shrink in size, it was increasingly more and more like a maze. The dark didn't help. It was as thick as black ink and seemed to even carry weight, making it hard to breath and easy to become disoriented.

"Why are you here. adventurer?"

The voice was dark and raspy, causing Kelset to shriek softly. The voice didn't seem to come from any one direction, but rather surround her. She turned quickly on her heels, trying to pinpoint where the male voice was coming from.

"Where are you?"

Her own voice was nearly a whisper. Instead of gaining a direct answer like she had hoped, the sound of large wings lifting was heard, followed by a gush of wind that push against her until her balance was lost, falling forward. Kelset managed to catch her self with her hands, but in the process the flame had extinguished, leaving her helpless in the inky black. Panic set in as she could hear something breathing close by. Her body jerked around to face in the opposite direction. Instead of seeing more blackness, she was shocked to see a pair of glowing green eyes peering curiously down at her. The sound of large hooves rung out clearly as they hit stone floor. Without giving much thought as to what was coming towards her, Kelset cast a large ball of fire and tossed it towards the pair of eyes. Before it could connect, the sound of wings was heard once more, followed by wind that snuffed out the blinding flames. The hooves rushed across the floor until one was on either side of her body.

Kelset lay flat, feeling the pressure of immense power bearing down on her. The creature wasn't touching her, the presence alone was enough to cause discomfort. The glowing eyes loomed high above her, reinforcing the feeling that this thing was standing above her while she laid between legs.

"Answer my question first, human. I knew the moment you stepped inside these walls as your stench filled every inch of once empty space."

Male. That was all she could really gather by listening to him. His voice was truly the most commanding, and intimidating she had ever heard.

"I was just curious. I didn't mean to cause trouble. Please, let me leave - "

He laughed. Dry and humorless as if she made idle threats rather than trying to seem harmless.

"No." His was short and firm.

Kelset swallowed hard, not really liking the tone he took. She could clearly imagine a sort of twisted smile on some sort of evil demonic face. Thrusting her hand upward, she unleashed a volley of fire toward the eyes once more. An irritated growl rumbled as they made contact. Briefly, she saw a face with giant horns jutting from his forehead. She guessed he was blinded for a moment and had stumbled back a few steps judging by the sound and vibrations of hooves hitting awkwardly against the floor. Even though she couldn't see in this dark, she got to her feet and ran with her hands out front so she could feel a wall before running into it. A pointless thing to do as several steps later, the back of her robes were grabbed and yanked backward hard enough to force her onto the cold and unforgiving stone floors. Just as the breath was knocked out of her body, several braziers around the room lit with a pale green fire, filling the room with a sickly glow that momentarily blinded her until the eyes adjusted. After mere seconds, she looked up to find who the green eyes belonged to. A large demon with hair over his shoulders that was as black as the darkness that filled this place. His skin a gray-purple color that reminded of her a Night Elf. Pointed ears, large horns curving back. Bat-like wings unfurled and tense, ready to take flight. Glowing runes across his chest, over his shoulders and biceps. It finally sense as to why it sounded like an overgrown horse clomping through the place - his legs appeared more goat-like with giant hooves for feet.

He looked familiar. While she had certainly never met a man like this in her life, Kelset had seen him in books and scrolls. As he stared down at her, silently and intensely, it hit her as to why he looked familiar.

"Illidan! You were killed! You are dead!" She scrambled to her feet, horrified by the Betrayer standing right before her. This was much like a dream she had before, only Illidan was the one at her feet and she was the vanquisher. A silly girl's dream of conquering.

"Calm yourself, child." Illidan nearly sighed, not pursuing her as she slid away, just staring. "I don't plan to harm you, but I can't let you leave, either."

While his tone was eerily calm, his words didn't sooth her none. While she always wanted to get inside the Black Temple and explore and stay for as long as she liked, she never wanted to get trapped inside, and certainly never would have expected The Betrayer say she couldn't leave.

"Why not? I clearly pose no threat." Her voice was shaky and cracked as she watched Illidan turn his large body to walk away from her and head down the dark hall that seemed to have no end.

"No, you don't." He paused, looking over her shoulder, beckoning Kelset to follow behind him. "However, I do not trust you to keep my existence a secret. You would tell others. Either they will believe you to be crazy, or some might start to seek out the truth. If they do, that could mean my death, again." Illidan smirked as the little human girl followed cautiously. He began to lead her around, explaining very little still. "I really don't wish to feel the cold grip of death on my soul again."

As they walked along, the braziers behind them would flicker and fade only for a few more before them to light, illuminating a short path in front and leaving no trace behind. "So, I'm a prisoner. For how long?" Kelset asked very tentatively, unsure if she truly wanted to hear the answer slip from his lips. Illidan made a valid point, though she was really unsure that anyone would believe her. After all, many saw him die, and he has been lying dormant for who knows how long. She would be seen as crazy, or someone who was dipping into things they shouldn't be. Kelset could be exiled for spouting such nonsense. She didn't even believe she would tell anyone as it sounded crazy, even to her.

"That time could vary. A few factors play in, the major one being your natural lifespan."

She could hear him hesitate a bit, slowly saying each word as if he didn't want to truly bare such news. A positive thing seemed to be that she wasn't going to be killed off. Not immediately, anyway.

* * *

_I heard a rumor of Illidan making a return, though I haven't found anything that confirmed or denied. As much as I would Love to see Illidan back, I doubt that would happen. The world is about to get ripped another hole soon by Garrosh, I assume lol_


	6. How the Mighty Fall

Over the course of a few days, Illidan gave Kelset a tour of what was to be her new "home". During that time he sealed a large portion of her abilities, making it impossible for her to tap into them and teleport out like she planned to do, he talked to her about his past, about death. He shared a lot with her, more than she truly expected out of him. Practically everything she read from being born with amber eyes to banishment, and even how death made him slightly regret past actions. What he didn't mention was Tyrande. Kelset knew that he once had an obsession with her, but she never knew details, and honestly, it didn't seem like a good idea to ask. For now, Illidan was being decent enough by humoring the endless questions and keeping her around. Asking the wrong thing could lead to things she had no desire to experience.

As he told stories, Kelset found her self often sitting at his cloven feet, mending various belts and sashes that he wore around his waist, while he made himself comfortable on a throne made of stone and bones. Occasionally, Illidan would take Kelset to one of the largest balconies of the Temple so that she could get fresh air and see the sky above her. This was becoming a favorite pastime for her, even if he stood near by with muscled arms crossed over his chest, watching her every move as he didn't trust her to be left unattended.

"Why don't you seek redemption with your brother?" Kelset was laid on a large, thick blanket. Her robes had been torn during their first meeting, so she had to make due with a white blouse that hung unflattering on her, and was a bit more low-cut than what she would normally wear. A dark pair of leggings with brown boots. Resting on her back with hands behind her head, she didn't bother to glance back at the solid sentinel, Illidan, always standing guard near her.

"Would you forgive me?" His tone was a bit saddened, lonely, and tinged with a bit sarcasm.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she watched a few meteors burn brightly high in the sky, and then quickly die out. To her, the answer was simple and pretty instant. "Yes, I would, if you were family or someone very dear to me."

"Naive human..." Illidan scoffed as he uncrossed his arms, only to take a seat next to her.

Chuckling softly, she watched the near giant settle down, noting how he carefully tucked those massive, tattered and torn wings inward to avoid smacking her with them. Despite being some sort of twisted version of a demon, but also something much more powerful, he did have an odd gentleness about him.

"So, if the roles were reversed, would you not forgive Malfurion?" Kelset shifted and moved so that her head and shoulders lay in Illidan's lap. Staring into his face, she could feel every muscle in his legs tense, and visibly see his jaw tighten as those green orbs peered down at the bold human. This lasted for a moment before his wings opened, making her flinch as she expected to be tossed off him. Instead, he settled, but those brows furrowed and he was clearly annoyed with the question presented.

"No, I wouldn't forgive the fool."

The sharp edge in his tone made her frown softly. It was hard, no, impossible for Kelset to ever understand the situation the Stormrage twins were in. On one hand, it was obvious as to why there could never be forgiveness, but on the other, she just couldn't imagine wanting to never see her own sibling. Now that she thought about it, this was likely a good thing that she didn't have any siblings, at least none she was aware of.

"There is always a slim chance." The smile had crept back onto her lips as she boldly kept taunting Illidan.

The wings set on his back twitched, showing agitation. "Why are you laying in my lap?"

Kelset snorted, amused as he dodged the question at hand. "Are you uncomfortable with it?" The look on his face told her that Illidan, a being capable of smashing her pieces with his bare hands and knowledge of magic, didn't quite know how to answer this.

"Is that your intention?"

Kelset answered by simply shrugging her shoulders, which gained a disappointed glare from him.

"A waste of effort." Illidan shrugged out from under the human, almost seeming to pout as he crossed his arms again.

"I used to dream of facing you. Stopping your reign as Lord of Outland and being a hero of sorts." Getting to her feet, she noticed he rose to his feet with her, watching not just her body, the flow of magic through her anticipating a possible ambush. "Now? I just feel bad for you. I want things to change for the better on your end, but that will never happen. You're too stubborn and dug yourself into one hell of a hole with the entire world, basically."

"Pointless daydreams of a little girl."

"What happened to the Broken who were reported to have reclaimed this place?"

"Do you really need to ask? Can you not piece together why none of them are here?" Illidan cocked his head to one side, purposefully being vague in an effort to make her mind reel at the possibilities, and to believe the worst.

Kelset just sighed in defeat. Honestly, she wanted to believe in him. Illidan had been quick to defend himself, saying over and over how what he had done was for the greater good, and everyone against him were mere fools because they could not see it that way. He didn't betray them, they betrayed him. There still was no admittance to another way to end things was possible, but he was a tad bit more hesitant each time he repeated the words.

"Do you really have to keep calling me things such as 'girl' and 'child'?"She decided to lighten up the conversations, sensing he was slowly becoming more and more cross with her. The last thing she wanted to do was push him over the edge. "I know you are considerably older, and practically everyone is a child compared to you, but I really would prefer you to use my name."

The pair came to an unspoken, mutual agreement that this would be acceptable, playful banter to pass the time, and hopefully it would lead into more neutral discussions instead.

* * *

**Lucen's Search**

_The second Kelset was tossing him supplies and ran out of sight, Lucen was bothered by this idea, but he was stubborn and refused to reach out to her. The threat of demons was very minimal these days thanks to the efforts of those who fought against the Legion many years back. Still, something nagged at him. Something seemed to whisper on the wind that she should be stopped. Still, all Lucen did was watch her fade into the distance. Patiently, he waited for Kelset's return. For days he stood just outside the stone walls of the alliance hold, eyes searching and scanning constantly, nearly praying that he would see her figure in the distance and that all would be well._

_"I think she abandoned ye here, lad."_

_A Dwarf joked as he walked past the Blood Elf still standing and waiting. No, she didn't leave and go home. Kelset wouldn't have it in her to just up and leave without at least letting him know. He could see her making a portal for her self back to home and forcing him to find other means back, sure, but he knew she would feel guilty about leaving him. Something happened. Something terrible, Lucen was positive, but he didn't believe her to be dead. Kelset never seemed to believe in her self enough, but Lucen knew she was strong enough to survive on her own. He not only felt it, but he had tasted the power inside in very literal way. Memories of her came flickering back. The first time he kissed her was ideal. Never did he admit out loud that he missed her. He was worried beyond what others could imagine. Lucen desired nothing other than to start over and place a bit more trust in himself. He knew Kelset trusted him. She trusted everyone. The problem was never with her, but always with him. Lucen had his own haunting memories before meeting her. Memories of his thirst taking complete control over his mind to the point that he usually ended up physically harming those he held relationships with. Lucen would never lay a finger on her in a hateful way, the harm was from him draining Mana out of those imbued with magical gifts to the point it caused physical pain and damage._

_Now Lucen was filled with regret, and knew he should have just voiced his concerns sooner. If he had, perhaps she would still be at his side, holding his hand. Maybe Kelset would have supported him in the times thirst burned and flared within him. Maybe he could effectively subdue if she helped. Now? Now he just feared they wouldn't get the chance to see how things would have worked out. _

_It took time, and some convincing, for Lucen to gather a sizable search team. Not too many were thrilled about wasting resources on a single woman who was practically nameless in their world, but he managed. Lucen nearly turned Shadowmoon Valley upside down looking for her, only to discover no trace. No body, no trail. Lucen even bothered to venture inside parts of the Black Temple, hoping to find her. Each time he called into the dark, he was let down as his echo was the only sound to be heard._

_After months of searching, the teams just gave up. Everyone was ready to accept the face that Kelset was gone, and likely was dead. Others tried to convince him to just stop this futile search and move on with his life. Some tried to tell him it would be easy to forget her should Lucen just find a hobby. Even when a year passed, Lucen still found himself returning to the gates of the Black Temple in a tribute to her. By now, he was convinced the darkness inside claimed the young woman._

* * *

The year spent with Illidan wasn't as bad as some might think. At least, not in Kelset's mind. It didn't bother her much that a demon hybrid was her only company, but he was also her protector, and soon became a great mentor. No one's grasp of magic was a profound as Illidan, and once Kelset proved herself an ally to him, he was eager to help the young mage tap into sources she wouldn't have otherwise been able to. The whole process was painfully slow. Illidan often worried about magic ruining her. There were many nights when Kelset protested against his cautious nature, begging him for more, that she could take it so long as he helped.

"I can handle this." Kelset whined, tossing her head back like a child, watching Illidan cross his arms in defiance.

"Why do you remain so foolish?" Illidan frowned, approaching the young woman to place a clawed hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly as if that would pull the girl from her own little world.

His words did nothing but incite frustration, causing her to pull away from the once comforting touch. Kelset had heard him toss out the words 'fool' and 'foolish' countless time. Most days they were said at least once, other days they would tossed around much more frequently. Today was simply one of those days.

"Why stop?" Kelset look up into the old Lord's eyes. Sadness that was often found their was slowly disappearing, only to seemingly appear in Kelset's eyes instead. "By now I am dead to the outside world. So why does it matter if I get ripped apart in the process?"

Kelset paused as thoughts swirled around. All of this was pointless. Learning new things was pointless if they never left. In general, the natives don't visit this place. Nothing tries to invade aside from a few rogue Warlocks hoping to gain valuable artifacts. Maybe a Mage or two in hopes of securing ancient books on a practice long forgotten.

"Maybe we should just stop this altogether. I'm never going to use my skills outside of these walls, and you're too stubborn and blind to see the gift that was given to you." Kelset huffed, tossing her hands in the air almost looking defeating, which only made Illidan tense up as he prepared to settle in for a nice rant.

"Seriously, wake up!" Without any warning, she pushed her hands against Illidan's stomach, a wave of energy being expelled with the motion. While it wasn't a large enough dose to cause any pain or alarm, it was enough to push him back a few inches, surprising him as he hadn't expected her to turn on him. "You have been given a second chance. Aren't you curious to who did this? What about redemption? It is possible, I just think you're too much of a coward to reach for it!"

"You are a coward as well." His words stunned Kelset, silencing her and leaving him with an opportunity to voice what he noticed about her over the course of the year. "You flirt. There is no end to subtle hints, yet you never take it further, and the few times I tried nearly sent you into an emotional mess."

"You can't pin anything on me there!" Kelset boldly pointed her finger at Illidan with a hurt gleam in her eye. "We both have our issues."

"I learned to let Tyrande go. I accept her choice. You are more freshly wounded by the rejection of that Blood Elf."

Everything that had been racing inside her skull suddenly stopped when Illidan approached her, casting a dark shadow that only made the globes in his eye sockets burn even more fiercely. The act of his clawed finger tracing her jawline, moving slowly, cautiously down her neck only to stop atop the collarbone made her squirm a bit uncomfortably.

"If I am to start a new life, I would want to start it with someone new by my side."

The cross expression on her face began to melt as she gently shooed his hand away from her. It was hard for her to guess just exactly how much of what Illidan told her was true a lot of the time, and at his worst, Kelset read him to be rather obsessive, and she wasn't entirely certain that was the sort of attitude she wanted to get involved in.

"You don't seem to trust me to venture outside these walls, Mr. Stormrage." Her brow raised curiously, eyes scanning the aged face of Illidan. While he definitely did not look his age, there were signs of it there. A few minor wrinkles formed, though every part of him was still in amazing shape. His skin was in pretty rough shape, but most of that was thanks to numerous scars littering him. Many were bright strands of silver against the gray-purple hue. "Also, why in the world would someone like you even want to consider just some human unfortunate enough to wander in?" Kelset was becoming reserved once more. While she didn't pine over Lucen, his actions had made her rethink a lot of things, and she was doing a lot better at resisting the primal urges to simply be with a man because she was lonely.

The corners of Illidan's lips lifted into a grin. The answer was a simple one, at least to him, and he was a bit surprised that she didn't see it. "Do you really think anyone else would have been less judgmental about me? No one would give me any benefit of doubt. You are likable, and very pretty. I want you by my side to help gain trust of others on the outside."

"So, you just want to use me?" The smile on his face quickly faded at the grim tone of her words.

"Not at all. I wish to gift you immortality, so that you can be by my side as a mate for eternity. I wish to be your strength, and for you to be mine." Kelset just laughed, shaking her head and walked away, ending this conversation altogether.

* * *

Illidan began to loosen his grip on Kelset, letting her venture outside the walls as she confessed that being stuck here was driving her as spacious as the Temple was, it just felt like a cage, even when in the large courtyards. Matters were only made worse when she thought back to all the travels she wanted to do, and instead she was stuck in one place that was still scarred and deformed by past demonic influences. It took time, but soon Illidan was willing to take short walks with her, and all the while he tried to court and pursue her affections. His tactics were far from any traditional courting, but the effort was nice and felt genuine, even if they were laced with long speeches and ramblings. Illidan seemed to be content so long as he could get her to smile.

They continued their training, still at a turtle's pace. Only now Kelset was allowed to unless on the environment and not just Illidan. Rocks were really about all she could bring her self to destroy. There was an incident where a Helboar was accidentally struck, and Kelset couldn't help but mourn the loss.

"Why are you upset?" Illidan's voice laced with confusion as he glanced down at the smoldering corpse. "Pretty certain you cooked it all the way to the core with one blast." The pride was rather obvious in his tone as confusion melted away.

"Because it's dead! That's why I'm upset. I could have disrupted nature, or killed a mother!" In the middle of being disappointed with her self, she felt the firm arm of the hybrid snaking around her waist. An action she had come to find comfort in over the past year. Slowly Kelset had allowed her self to become closer to Illidan, mostly physically. Feelings were something she still tried to stomp out before they flared into a fire.

"I doubt people will judge you harshly on this." Illidan chuckled, finding a strange warmth and sense of calm was starting to grow within his own cold, distant heart. Perhaps redemption was possible should be able to keep him anchored.

Their usual rounds and exploring was soon brought to end as the day began to fade into night. Although here there really was not a huge noticeable difference between day and night. The sky was always dark and ominous. The ground always cold and hard with the exception of areas where lakes of molten, green goop and lava resided. Seemingly a realm modeled purposefully after nightmares as most rocks along the mountains were jagged and sharp.

"What do you say we go up to the ridge not far from the Temple, have a quick spar, then I make us something to eat?" She beamed happily up at the hybrid that loomed over her. Little Kelset was at her peak at five foot six inches, while Illidan was easily nine foot tall, and that wasn't taking into the account the height of curved horns and large, bat-like wings that reached far above his head.

Illidan could have easily skipped the daily challenge of sparring, but if she truly wished it, then so be it. He opened his arms to her, sliding one underneath her legs and scooping her body up, gripping protectively. Kelset immediately relaxed in his sturdy grasp. They had done this enough times that she was used to it and completely trusted him not to allow her to fall. Even if she was knocked out of his arms, she now held the abilities to guide her self safely to the ground and assure her own survival. That is if Illidan wasn't able to grab her falling body first.

It only took a matter of minutes for the couple to reach the ridge. This was one of Kelset's most favorite places, especially for picnics. A large portion was raised high, a large hill, but barely falling short of a mountain. Much of the top was flat and spacious, giving plenty of room to lounge around and even hold friendly fights. At the foot of this ridge was a roiling lake of lava. It was tainted a sickly green and reminded Kelset more of living ooze than anything else.

As soon as his cloven feet hit the earth, wings disturbing a fair amount of loose dirt and rocks, Kelset slid easily from his grasp and skipped a few feet away, turning smoothly on her heels to face her opponent. Every since earning favor with the demon hybrid, Kelset had been dressed much better. A robe sewn of bright purples, blues, and reds clung tastefully to her curvy frame. Each color was a symbol of her master of the basic elements the Mage had control over - red was for her skill in fire, as blue was to frost and purple was the arcane, all of which bent effortlessly to her will since Illidan graciously opened doors for her.

Kelset noted how his hands tensed into mangled looking talons as she bowed respectfully to him. He knew her routine enough to guess when she was going to strike - a negative with practicing against a friend. Without mercy, she flung an arsenal of brightly burning missals, each one was just barely dodged by Illidan. While there wasn't a direct hit, they exploded on impact with anything, causing splash damage. Using his wings to propel forward, Illidan rushed the woman, who was now glowing intensely through his unique sight. His gift was to see beyond physical forms and instead view all magic and what it was tied to. This made Kelset easy to predict as he could see what she was charging up and where it was as well as noting exactly what element. Several frost bombs were deployed in an effort to slow his advance. She was much better at ranged fight while he could easily destroy up close and personal.

No onlooker would have guessed this to be a friendly squabble. Large balls of fire were hurled and deflected, storms of ice sharper than glass rained from above while arcane energies constantly gathered only to explode violently against their victim. The displays of power went on for some. Both partners were equally matched as both of them not only took their fair share of hits, but also dealt hefty blows. The only reason for stopping was that Kelset had grown hungry, and she was the one who needed some energy left to prepare a meal as promise.

"You owe me a new robe..." Her voice nearly a whisper as she inspected several gashes through the cloth that his talons had caused.

Amused with himself, Illidan simply grinned as he settled down on the earth as Kelset pulled a fairly large meal seemingly out of thin air. A few different types of meat and fruit materialized before him, smelling fresh and highly appetizing. Without waiting for him to approve or start eating, she plunked her self across from him and dug in. This was the first meal she had all day, and it was easily the best tasting she had in several days. Sweet and savory fruit coupled brilliantly with the heavier taste of dark meats, and for that moment, all was well with the world.

As they finished stuffing their bellies, Kelset took her usual seat with Illidan. It wasn't out of the normal for her to lay across his lap, staring into eyes that peer down into her soul rather than seeing her physical form. It was an enthralling feeling, also unsettling. Carefully, her gaze left the burning sockets to come to rest on his lips. They curled back in a smile, revealing a few rather sharp and wicked looking teeth. When a soft chuckle worked through, that's when she turned away.

"Why do you do that? I can feel you studying me, and you do it all the time. Why? Am I that hideous of a creature now?" His tone was amused and playful, and maybe even a tad bit arrogant.

With an agitated grunt, Kelset sat up, removing her self from his lap to sit on her knees. Without really thinking on her actions, she pushed her lips tightly against Illidan's as her hands rested against his chest.


	7. Reunion

"Do you accept me as a mate?" Illidan smiled a bit arrogantly against her lips, cupping the little human's chin in his rough, calloused hand. Without allowing time to hear an answer, his lips softly brushed against Kelset's, oddly gentle for such a large man.

With half lidded eyes, Kelset pressed her palms against his chest, only to have him pull her in closer, nearly into his lap as that grin grew with each silent moment. A part of her wanted to say yes, but that answer was so binding it was hard to accept.

"Why can't you be like every other man and just enjoy the attention without making it complicated?" A frown tugged at the corner of her lips.

He just chuckled, partly opening his own lips to pull the lovely human into a deeper kiss. Just as those sharped teeth dared to graze against her soft, supple skin, Illidan pressed a hand against her chest and harshly pushed her body into the earth. Kelset, shocked by the sudden roughness, glared upwards and sucked in a breath to protest against being treated so harshly. The words were stopped before they even formed as Illidan crouched above her. All of the muscles in his body were tense and rigid as if coiled tightly by springs. Those lips that were being so nice and gentle were curled back to reveal those menacing, wolf-like teeth. Through the hand pressing down on her chest, she could feel vibrations that grew in intensity until a low rumble could be heard. The massive, tattered and torn bat-like wings unfurled quickly to ready themselves for use. Those burning embers for eyes were not fixed on Kelset, and she recognized the stance he was in - possessive. Illidan looked like an animal that was guarding a fresh kill from another creature desperate enough to get too close.

"Illidan?"

Kelset grabbed his wrist, which only made him press down harder. She was able to wriggle enough to follow the direction he was facing to see a blond male Blood Elf looking on. It was hard to decide if he was amazed, astonished, or even disgusted by the sight he stumbled across. Perhaps it was a little of everything. Her heart skipped a few beats as the Elf's face began to stir something within her memory. He looked all too familiar, but it had been a long while since she last saw anyone and over the last few years many faces had faded and blurred, and many names were lost.

"Illidan? As in Illidan Stormrage, Lord of Outland?" His breath seemed to come in quick and shallow. The sight of the Betrayer hovering over the body of a woman so hungrily was hard to absorb. Not nearly as tough as believing that the Betrayer was truthfully alive.

The Elf's voice picked at Kelset. Again, very familiar to the point of being painful.

"Yes. What of it? You have no business with me, or my mate." Illidan spat, releasing his grip on the little human writhing beneath him. As much as he looked forward to the day she would be writhing under him, it wasn't in this manner that he wanted.

"Hold up!" Kelset barked, getting to her feet and brushing the dust and dirt from her torn clothing. "I never said I was your mate!" Quickly, she rushed to stand between the Elf and Illidan before a dog fight broke out. Turning to address the man who interrupted them, she was suddenly hit with a flood of images and memories she had long stored. With the flashes came his name, Lucen, and it sent an enormous smile stretching across her face in glee.

"Lucen?"

Kelset giggled out his name rather than said it. The look on his face told her that the name was correct, only he looked as if he was seeing a specter instead of a person made of flesh and bone.

"You're supposed to be dead." Lucen's body rocked forward slightly, indicating that he wanted to approach her, but was held back by the large demon Lord still ready to pounce just behind her. Cautiously, his eyes flicked between her face and that of Illidan's. "Do you have any idea how long you've been missing? Years! How come you never tried to contact anyone?"

Now that Lucen was truly looking and studying the slightly more mature woman before him, he could smell and almost see the mystic energies crackling all around her. In her absence it was clear that her power had grown tremendously. Confidence had been gained. She carried her self differently, with more pride and self assurance. All of it just added to her beauty that he not once forgotten over time. Without answering him at all, Kelset rushed to Lucen, wrapping her arms tightly around the Elf, burying her face in the crook of his neck and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with a vaguely familiar scent.

Illidan just watched carefully. That moment was all the answer he would truly ever need from her. Every tendril of energy within her, and even her very soul, gained a brilliant shine that he had never seen in the time she was with him. The glow of her soul only burned hotter once the Elf reciprocated the hug. Even his own energy and life forced flowed differently since she had shoved her self willing into his arms. There it was. Rejection, again, only this time he didn't need to hear words to see it.

"So, I managed to get lost," Kelset started to share her story on where she had been holed up this time, slowly pulling from Lucen's arms to look him over as a hole. "inside the Black Temple. Probably would have ended up back in Stormwind had I not been found by Illidan." That's when she turned to face her once capture turned ally. There was no stopping the guilt that began to creep in. He was no longer ready to maul Lucen. Instead, he looked defeated which effectively shut her up as she gnawed at her bottom lip.

"A lot of people would be so relieved to see you again..." Lucen grabbed her hand, pulling the attention back on him once more. It was odd how much he actually missed her once she wasn't there to nag at him, or complain about the smallest things. He missed not being taunted by every sway of her hips when she walked, he missed hearing her voice. It didn't matter if all she did was yell, he just wanted her to keep talking. "Listen," a heavy sigh was heard as he sifted through a few choice words, trying to find something he thought Kelset would like to hear. Just something that would pull her in his direction once more. "I never did get to apologize for pushing you away so harshly. It wasn't right, and wasn't your fault."

Kelset raised a brow as she gently slid her hand from his. "Now you want to talk? Really?" Disappointment filled her voice and spilled across her features. "I could have used some sort of explanation the day of. Not years after. I've moved on."

His words didn't provide comfort in a way that she had hoped they would. Kelset had long often daydreamed about hearing that from Lucen, dwelling on what she would do, what he would do, how to progress from there, but now that the situation was presented to her, it was hard to truly decide. A part of her wanted to jump into Lucen's arms and just simply pick up where they had left off. That would mean abandoning Illidan. Kelset didn't really want to be claimed as his,he had simply been there. However, she still valued him more as a friend and would love to see him make steps to better himself in the outside world. She really believed it was possible.

Sensing the conflict within her, Illidan stepped forward, which caused Lucen to instinctively pull Kelset back as he stepped in front of her. Scowling at the large hybrid, it was clear there was no trust between the two, despite that Kelset would have easily trusted the both of them. The tension in the air quickly became so heavy one could feel the pressure of it bearing down. The two men truly felt threatened, but Kelset couldn't help but find the display a bit silly and pointless.

"Guys?" Kelset asked, placing her self between them. "Is there - "

"Who resurrected him? Why would anyone unleash that on Azeroth once more?" Lucen interrupted with a horrible look in his eye a growl in his throat.

"I'm not looking to make past mistakes." Illidan's tone really wasn't much better, but his face showed much less agitation and aggression.

The banter between the two continued on for several minutes, even as Kelset tried raising her voice to get her side of this heard. No one seemed interested. All the two cared about was trying to chase off the other. Too much testosterone in one area, and it was doing nothing but giving her a headache. Enough was enough. Without saying a word, she released a strong pulse of arcane energy. Not enough to harm, but it was enough to stun them into a silence and end the bickering.

"I would like to take Illidan back to Darnassus, and see if it was possible to work something out so that he could build trust among them once more." Kelset started, gaining a surprised look off Lucen.

"You do realize that is a lot more complicated than that?" Lucen asked, Kelset nodded in response. "Do you know anything of Night Elf politics, or law?"

"Well, no." She admitted sheepishly.

Lucen shook his head, giving a frustrated laugh. "Then you don't qualify, at all, to do this."

"But-"

"The Elf is right, Kelset. I will handle my own problems." Illidan crossed his arms, taking steps back from the couple to make his way to the Temple once more.

"But wait!" Kelset rushed up to Illidan. The hybrid simply shushed her before running his fingers through her silky hair.

"I will be fine. Perhaps one day our paths will cross and our fates will be intertwined. For now, it's not me that makes your soul flare, and I can accept that." A disheartened smile crept across his face before Illidan placed a small kiss on her forehead. The last he will likely ever have from her, and it would be sufficient enough of a memory. "I will return to the Night Elves on my own time, but just know, I am not likely going to find forgiveness anywhere."

With that, shadows, dark and thick, began to snake around his body until no part of him was seen. When Kelset waved her hand through them, hoping to find a solid body underneath, they withdrew from her touch and dissipated, revealing that nothing was there. Illidan Stormrage was gone and had likely went to go crawl underneath the rock from where he came to begin with, leaving behind a somewhat saddened woman and a hesitant Elf.

"Kel?" Lucen called to her cautiously, not sure of what she wanted to say to him. "We need to go back home. There are a few graves I need you to see."


	8. Starting Over

At first Kelset tried to track Illidan down within the Temple, but there were so many corners that she didn't know about it was near impossible of a task to complete on her own. In a way, she felt like Illidan knew she was there, knew she was calling for him, just didn't answer. It was frustrating. Frustrating because she didn't want to abandon him all alone. Then however, she couldn't just stay and leave Lucen either. Soon enough, she gave in to Lucen and went with him back home.

Their first stop was Stormwind. During the time she was gone, some of the Horde and Alliance seemed to have made strides. There were only a few Horde members around, and they looked very tense and out of place within these walls. Lucen informed Kelset that the King and Vol'jin really were trying, and as a result a few Horde were sent here just as a few Alliance were sent into Orgrimmar to reside and help to further build relations. Each factions leaders also sent out an order that said no harm was to come to members of the opposing faction, no matter what. Should anyone cause a problem, they would be sent to their respective leader for a trial to keep peace.

Lucen took her to the very back of Stormwind, behind the Cathedral where many good and important men and woman, including the Queen, were buried. Kelset knew of only man who would have had the right to have been buried back here, and the thought made her stomach churn nervously, that only grew worse when Lucen set her in front of a fresh grave that was marked with the name Allen Thorn.

"Your teacher passed away last month. It was ruled to be by heart attack."

She didn't say anything as she kneeled before the white marbled headstone. There really wasn't much of anything left to say now. He was dead, and he wouldn't hear her pleas and cries. As she ran the pads of her fingers over the words engraved, her shoulders shook as Kelset bowed her head. Tears stung the eyes persistently until she allowed to spill over. The strange old man had practically been a father to her. Always kind and caring, and stern when she would try to get away with something she knew was wrong. He instilled more values in her than any of her family ever had. Her father only showed how to betray trust, her mother mostly taught how to seduce and use others for one's personal gain. Allen balanced that out very nicely for her.

"I am glad we met..." She whispered through the sobs, lifting her head to find Lucen had knelt beside her. With the pad of his thumb, he wiped a few tears off her smooth, pale skin. In his eyes was understanding even though there were no outward signs of his sorrow. Kelset forced a sad, weak laugh as she started rifling through some of the better memories of her old teacher. "He did a lot for me, and I failed in making back to him." Lucen shook his head, not wanting her to start placing any sort of blame upon her self.

"He knows you cared. He told me so many times." One arm slid around her slender shoulders while his free hand cupped her cheek as he pulled Kelset to him in a warm embrace. Her fingers gripped his clothes tightly as she fought against the desire to cry even harder now that Lucen offered his comfort to her.

"It's okay..." He cooed softly to her as he rested his cheek against the top of her head and just rubbed her shoulders while holding on tightly, promising silently to himself that he wouldn't let her go far from him again.

They sat there for a while longer until the crying had stopped and the redness left her eyes. The sun was setting and most people were headed inside for the evening. The days were getting shorting and cooler as the warmer seasons were leaving and the colder ones were rolling in. This was something Kelset had missed during her time in Outlands. The temperature there was pretty constant, which wasn't bad, but change was also nice. Lucen helped Kelset up to her feet and invited her out for a few drinks, which she eager accepted. It had been a while since she last had a good, strong drink in her hands. Of course, there were also a few reasons as to why she hadn't done it, either.

The two of them sat at a small table that was a bit secluded from the rest of the pub. Mostly so that they could chat with just each other and catch up without worrying much about someone else wanting to but in. As their order arrived, she fingered the rim of her mug, watching Lucen a bit suspiciously as he wasted no time in gripping the handle of his own mug and gulping a good bit of it down. Noticing the looks she gave him before touching her own, he simply shrugged his shoulders and stared back.

"What?" He asked, almost looking a bit annoyed by this.

"Looking for a repeat of last time I drank?" Her brow lifted sharply as she accused him of unspoken motives. "I'm on to you, Elf!" Kelset lifted the mug to her lips, all the while watching him carefully and crossing her legs in a lady-like way, as if to make a point.

"Ha!" Lucen blurted out, leaning back in his chair. "I wouldn't need to push alcohol down your throat to coax you out of your clothes. Remember the first time I kissed you? I'm pretty certain you would have laid with me had I wished it."

Kelset grumbled, becoming a little miffed at his arrogant tone and the fact he seemed to truly believe it. "Yea, I do remember it. I also remember you," she pointed at him sharply as she emphasized the word 'you' "nearly begging me at a certain point just so you could get a damn mana fixed." With that, she tossed the mug back again, taking several gulps before slamming it down against the table.

Her words hit a sore spot, causing him to flinch as she said them. They had both gotten out of line already, and the fact she was beginning to raise her voice had made several other patrons turn to eye the pair curiously. Ultimately, he didn't want to fight with her, not now, not when she had only just returned to him.

"You really hurt my feelings, Lucen..." Kelset voiced cracked as if she was going to start crying again.

"I know, that was never my intention. I made a mistake." Lucen lowered his voiced to a more humbled tone, breaking eye contact from her to look down at his half empty glass.

"I'm talking about in Feralas."

Lucen winced. That hadn't been a proud moment. "I know..."

"No ,you don't know, and you wouldn't know unless someone pulled that shit on you." Even though Kelset was still of sound mind at this point, the anger she had kept locked up for years was beginning to bubble a little more than it usually does.

"You want to know why?" Lucen was calm even as Kelset looked like she was ready to completely lose it. "I'm afraid of hurting you. Or worse, killing you in the heat of the moment. Most of the time, I can keep my own addictions at bay. It becomes really hard to control it with you, though. Especially now. You don't understand just how much etheral energies pour out of every word you speak. I can nearly feel it against my skin when ever you breath too close, when you speak at me, and the feeling is only magnified when your skin touches mine, especially in a kiss. So, please. Forgive me. I wanted to do what was safe by you, but these days I just want you."

"So you want to use me?" She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest, only to be met with a frustrated glare by the devilishly, good-looking Lucen. Physically appearances alone were enough for her to stick around for some time. Who wouldn't want to be escorted around like that? That didn't mean she would allow herself to be in a one-sided relationship, though.

"Now you're just being pig-headed."

"I just find it really hard to believe that you never moved on."

"Did you?" Lucen leaned forward, elbows on the table as he watched carefully for any change in the expressions on her face.

"Completely different situation. You had no way of knowing whether I was alive."

Lucen gave a small grin as she effectively gave him enough of an answer without directly acknowledging it. "I didn't wander about alone. No. I had friends to keep my company. I also had a few girls, and things just never seemed to work out. They found more interesting toys."

Lucen went on to explain how he visited Shadowmoon Valley once a year on the day she went missing. The only reason he came across her to begin with was because of the flashy display her and Illidan had put on during their mock fight. The glare of magic was obvious in the otherwise dark place. All the while insisting he didn't have intentions of just draining her and tossing her to the side once he grew bored or found a bigger pot to stir, but that he wanted someone with compassion by his side. A woman who would support him when he felt at his weakest and one who could put up with the awful nightmares that often plagued him and help keep them bay. Someone untouched by the cruelty of war. Someone soft and vulnerable, but in their own right strong and capable.

"I've went through the trouble of renting out a room at the Inn next door. Would you like to go? There is something I'd like to ask you in private." Reluctantly, Kelset agreed to leave and go with Lucen. It was hard to not over think all of his actions, but she really couldn't say he seemed like the sort of person to play this sort of game with others. Most men his age wouldn't still be in that sort phase of their life. Kelset might have thought differently if he had been younger or closer to his teens instead of late twenties by now.

As they entered their room, Lucen immediately began to settle in. He sat on the edge of his bed, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside. Kelset just shamelessly watched the way his muscle stretched and contracted as he slipped the shirt above his head, admiring the way they relaxed once he set his elbows on his knees, slouched over a bit. His hair was oddly silky and gorgeous for a man. It was hanging loose around his shoulders and chest. The form-fitting pants really didn't do much to hide things. Yes, he was covered decently, even though she could trace a good part of a small trail of hair leading down from his bellybutton, but she could easily see the outline of everything, and it had it flustered.

Lucen chuckled softly as he felt her eyes scanning him from head to toe. It was especially amusing after all the big talk. At least for once in a very long time was someone staring at him for all the right reasons and not just based on his race.

"Careful that you don't trip over your own jaw." He jested lightly before kicking off his boots and laying back in the bed.

Kelset cleared her throat as that smooth voice pulled her from within the little daydream she had slipped into. Glancing across the tiny room, she noticed a window and another bed. With a sigh of relief, knowing she wouldn't be forced to share anything with him, Kelset slipped out of her own tattered clothes, careful to leave on the pair of shorts and undershirt just before slipping under the blankets of her little bed. While the bed springs creaked and squeaked, softly protesting her weight against them, the sheets a bit rough against her satin skin, it wasn't really all that uncomfortable. Turning on her side to face Lucen, who was looking up at the ceiling while on his back, she spurred him on, asking what he needed to discuss.

"I would like you to travel with me to various Horde outposts and major cities. Even now it isn't often our territories get visited by your faction, and perhaps them seeing that we travel and exist together peacefully could be good. Unless you wanted to stay close to home for a while to clue your parents in on your being okay?" Lucen barely glanced at her even though the blankets covered her body entirely.

She shook her head quickly, causing several strands of hair to fall against her face, not wild about the idea of seeing either one of her parents. "I really don't think it would make a difference to either one, Lucen, but I would love to travel."

They ended the talk on a light note by discussing light hearted moments that could potentially occur during their travels, and the idea of people of Azeroth being united and at peace for the first time. It didn't take much before Kelset was lulled off to sleep with Lucen talking to her. His was voice was quite soothing and gentle compared to Illidan's, and put her at ease. Lucen had more troubles than she did falling asleep. The dream world was a realm he wanted nothing to do with, and things were only getting worse lately. Each time a nightmare occurred, it was getting hard and hard to decide what was reality and what was fabricated by his own mind. Things had escalated to the point where he was casting spells in his sleep. He feared one would be thrown at her without him realizing it. Despite his anxiety about falling asleep, after hours of fighting it, he finally slipped off.

Ever since Illidan had been allowed to meddle with her body and the energies kept inside, Kelset had her own disturbing visions and dreams, though she wouldn't classify them as unbearable, just partially unnerving. For the most part, her night wasn't bad, and she wouldn't have started to stir if it wasn't for the sun shining through the single window. Lazily she kicked at the blankets until they slipped off the bed. Her legs spread and straightened as she stretched every muscle within them. Next, her shoulders pushed back into the mattress as her back arched in, lifting off the bed and rousing every muscle in the core, saving the arms and hands for last. Opening her eyes for the first time, she was greeted by the sight of Lucen standing in between their beds with his back to her. Even through unfocused eyes she could see that he swayed slightly, not completely balanced.

"Lucen? What are you doing" She asked in a sleep tone, getting onto her feet she reached out for his wrist, tugging it gently to gain his attention. "Lucen?" He didn't move nor answer and that made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Needless to say this was a creepy sight to watch one shift their weight from one foot to the other and they not be aware of it.

"Lucen!" Kelset tugged his wrist harder and nearly yelled to him. This caused him to lose what little balance he had as his mind jerked awake. Out basic instinct and reflex, Lucen pulled away from her hand harshly that made him stumble forward and turn quickly on his feet with a hateful look in his eye. The quick and abrupt action caused Kelset to curse softly under her breath as the heart inside her chest beat against the ribs for a few moments.

"Are you tying to give me a heart attack!?" Kelset gripped her shirt while leaning forward and taking a few calming breaths. Lucen still looked a bit lost as he slowly sat down on the edge of his bed.

"No, Sorry..." He whispered, covering his face with his hands to block out the world around him and spend a moment gathering himself into one piece again.

If this is how most of his mornings went, then yes, she could easily see why Lucen never really kept a young woman in his life. Even though Lucen was the one battling demons, some side effects seemed to pile onto those around him, and it would be a lot to bear, especially over a length of time. When his hands lowered, revealing Lucen's pale face, Kelset noticed he still didn't look like he was present. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Kelset crawled the short distance between them, wriggling her way to sit between his thighs. Lucen refused to look at her, shame and sorrow present on his face, but he didn't fight her off. Sitting on her knees, the young Mage reached her arms around his neck, nuzzling against his jawbone. Every muscle was tense like he was expecting something bad to happen from soft and gentle contact their skin made. After a few moments Lucen was clinging to the shirt on her back, his own face buried in the hair against her small shoulder with his eyes closed. The light scent of a woman that was unique to her filled his senses and began to anchor him down precisely where he wished to be.

"I'm sorry..." Lucen repeated himself, clinging just a little tighter and holding their bodies just a little closer.

Kelset simply pushed some of his hair back behind his ears and shoulders so that she could place a small kiss against the exposed skin tenderly. For as long as Lucen needed her to, Kelset would sit there and be as comforting as was humanly possible to the man fighting essentially himself. It was frustrating to feel him quiver and shake in her arms, knowing there was nothing to be done other than support him as he rode out the hallucinations gripping his mind.


End file.
